Blogging Challenge

Once again, we have reached the point where I introduce my students to the wonderful world of blogging.  Of course that usually means that I have to explain what a blog even is.

Naturally, that also reminds me of the need to get back into the habit myself.  Inspired by student enthusiasm and the efforts of some of my colleagues, I have come across this 30-Day Blogging Challenge.  As I've recently encountered with some of my personal fitness, I HAVE to have something to work towards that is specific.  I couldn't just say I will no longer be fat... although that would be nice.  Instead, I had to be more direct: I will get into the gym every school day and do cardio.  I'm getting the sense that blogging will need to be one of those areas that require something more concerted.

So. For Day One I will write a little bit about my goals for the year.  Here are a few key things that stand out:

1.  Technology.  This, for me, is a big one.  I love spending time online and with colleagues and friends looking at things that are cool.  The challenge is finding to way to use technology effectively.  Our district has focused a lot on using Google's architecture to facilitate greater collaboration and increase the ease with which we can accomplish our goals.  This year introduces Google Classroom, which I really like and am excited to play with.

I want to ensure that I'm not just using technology just for technology's sake.  There needs to be a purpose and a measurable way to observe and note student progress toward digital outcomes.  My goal is to make sure that when I use an app, be it Socrative, Remind, or Google's suite of tools, there needs to be a reason beyond the simple wow factor.

2.  Kagan.  Our district has also spent a great deal of time and effort looking into the Kagan philosophy of cooperative learning.  I will admit that a good amount of my teaching and instruction is quite teacher centered... I've often fallen into the trap of assuming that I have a more direct role in helping my students to understand what is needed, especially in a subject as content-driven as Social Studies.  Kagan embraces the idea that students benefit more by working together and relying a lot less on the 'sage on the stage' approach that many of us have grown so accustomed to.  My goal is to play with some of the strategies in my big ol' book, to refine them, and make them part of my normal teaching practice.  This may mean that I fall on my face more often than I would like, but if it means that my students are a bit more engaged in what they are doing, it will be well worth the price of admission.

There you have it.  A bit of insight into what I'll be working on this year, and a roadmap to what I hope to showcase through this blog.  Should be a good year...  now for the next 29 days of blogging.

~MrT

Blogging: More than just Facebook 2.0

Barring crazy lab-scheduling, many of the students today were able to (finally) get their accounts up and running.  I appreciate your willingness to try something different.

My hope for students this semester is to be able to complete and present more of their projects online.  In my mind, your Google account already provides the ideal venue through Blogger mainly because the account it already set up.  The intent is to have you submit and display some of your work through this venue.  This will allow you to bring together different forms of media with relative ease.  More details will be forthcoming over the coming days and weeks.

Kudos to those who were prepared for their quizzes.  Each class was told to prepare for daily quizzes as a quick learning check to see if content has been understood and if you are doing your part in learning the material.  These quizzes, while not necessarily an integral part of your overall grade, give me an idea about where you stand and will be reviewed on a frequent basis.  I will do my part to provide fair notice but this is something that each of you must do on your own.

I suppose it's time to invite each of you to begin delving into the world of current events.  It should come as no surprise that I LOVE to talk about what's happening around the world.  There is always something happening somewhere... this is the beauty of social studies.  I would suggest that you take 5 or 10 minutes on a daily basis a look at a story or two.  Follow the links in the sidebar, open a newspaper, or watch a few minutes of a newscast.  Current events add relevance and meaning to what can be dry content.  Please be prepared to bring something to talk about.

All in all, I like the way that things are taking shape and I am excited about the possibilities this semester.  Thanks for an uncommonly good Monday.

~Mr. T